Automatic angle adjusting sleeve grippers for a garment press

ABSTRACT

A shirt or garment finishing machine with a mannequin or buck for holding the body of the garment or shirt with sleeve holders or grippers mounted on pivoting arms on each side of said mannequin or buck to hold the open end of the sleeve. The pivoting arms with sleeve holders/grippers pivot laterally to support various lengths of sleeves and provide tension to remove wrinkles. The sleeve holders/grippers move vertically on the pivoting arm to support sleeves that are attached to the garment body at a various angles. During either or both of these motions, the sleeve holder/gripper automatically adjusts its angle relative to the garment body to provide even sleeve tension.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/362,843, filed on Jul. 15, 2016.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present general inventive concept relates to the field of garment orshirt finishing machines, and more particularly a shirt finishingmachine with a mannequin or buck used to support the garment during theremoval of wrinkles.

BACKGROUND

Shirt pressing machines are known in the industry and generally comprisea shirt supporting body, or buck, which is movable on a track orturntable between a dressing station and a pressing station, where thefront and back of the shirt is contacted by heated pressing plates forthe purpose of removing wrinkles and, at the same time, drying theshirt.

Some types of prior art shirt finishing machines comprise a buck to holdthe garment, a pair of right and left supporting arms arranged at eachside of the buck with sleeve holders to support and provide tension forthe sleeves. Tension on the sleeves is provided by rotating thesupporting arms from a fixed point on the frame of the device. Pressingheads or irons may or may not be provided to remove wrinkles near theopen end of the sleeve. Steam and hot air are typically injected intothe sleeve while the sleeve is supported and in tension to removewrinkles.

This type of prior art finishing machine sometimes has a problemremoving wrinkles from the sleeve because the sleeve holder does notadjust vertically. Garment sleeves are attached to the garment body atvarious angles and the sleeve holder applies tension at only one fixedangle that may not provide the same tension on both the top and bottomsurface of the sleeve.

Embodiments of the present general inventive concept can provide agarment finishing machine that prevents forming sleeve wrinkles due touneven sleeve tension caused by various sleeve lengths and angles.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present general inventive concept provide a garmentfinishing machine that removes wrinkles from the body and sleeves of thegarment or shirt.

Example embodiments of the present general inventive concept can beachieved by providing a garment finishing machine comprising a mannequinto hold the body of the garment, a pair of pivoting arms located oneither side of the mannequin to support and tension the sleeves of thegarment, a stable frame on which the mannequin rests, sleeve holders oneach of said pivoting arms to hold each sleeve in position during thefinishing process, pivot points on the frame, pivoting arms, and sleeveholders to allow for rotation around a pivot point, and a sliderattached to the sleeve holders to allow for vertical motion of thesleeve holders during the finishing process, wherein a movement of thefinishing arms around its pivot point on the frame of the garmentfinishing machine provides tension to the sleeves of the garment byincreasing the distance between the garment and the position of thesleeve holder, wherein the movement of the slider causes a proportionalmovement of the pivot arms and causes the sleeve holder to rotate on itsaxis, and wherein the motion of the sleeve holder is automatic inresponse to the movement of the slider and creates an even tension onthe top and bottom portions of a sleeve attached at the sleeve holder.

The present invention also provides a garment finishing machine withuniform tension of the upper and lower surfaces of the sleeve forvarious sleeve lengths.

The present invention also provides a garment finishing machine withuniform tension of the upper and lower surfaces of the sleeve forvarious sleeve angles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Example embodiments of the present general inventive concept will becomemore clearly understood from the following detailed description of thepresent general inventive concept read together with the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a garment finishing machine system and apair of garments each resting on garment finishing machine bucks,according to an example embodiment of the present general inventiveconcept.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a garment finishing machine buck,pivoting arms, actuators and sleeve holder in a raised position at twodistinct arm tilt positions, according to an example embodiment of thepresent general inventive concept.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a garment finishing machine buckshown with attached garment, pivoting arms, actuators, and sleeveholders in the lowered position at two distinct arm tilt positions,according to an example embodiment of the present general inventiveconcept.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a garment finishing machine buckwith attached garment showing cuffs in an unclamped position, accordingto an example embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the garment finishing machine buckwith attached garment showing cuffs in a clamped position, according toan example embodiment of the present general inventive concept.

FIG. 6 is a close up front elevation view of sleeve holders, clamps andattached sensor, according to an example embodiment of the presentgeneral inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of the current invention whichcomprises a pair of mannequins or bucks 3 which reside on respectivebuck frames 4. A garment can be placed on one of the bucks 3 during aprocess of finishing the garment such that the garment conformssubstantially to the shape of the buck 3. A pair of sleeve holders 2 canbe provided for each buck 3, which may be raised and lowered by thegarment finishing machine operator as he or she sees fit. The sleeveholders 2 can also rotate freely around the pivot point 14 to provideeven sleeve tension for the particular type of garment construction,including sleeves which are sewn onto the body of the garment at variousangles. The garment finishing machine provides for rotation of the leftand right pivoting arms 1 in a lateral position from the base of themannequin in order to provide tension on the sleeve by increasing thedistance from the sleeve cuff to the body of the garment located on thebuck 3. The sleeve holders 2 may include sleeve holder clamps 15 totemporarily secure the open end of the garment sleeve to the sleeveholder 2 during the wrinkle removal process. A user may place thegarment on one of the bucks 3, attach the sleeve onto the sleeve holders2, secure the open end of the garment using the sleeve holder clamps 15,and adjust the pivoting arms 1, until the garment is in a desiredposition. The buck frames 4, can rotate, as shown in FIG. 1, in acircular fashion 180 degrees, such that each of the 2 buck frames 4,have exchanged positions. The buck frames 4 can rest upon a platform. Amotor can power the rotation of a platform on a set of rollers. Othermeans of providing rotation known in the art may be utilized. Further,the buck frames 4 could rotate at another angle or in a linear fashion.After rotation of the buck frames 4, a garment that has not beenfinished can be finished by means of steam or pressing, for example, andthe finished garment can be removed to be replaced by a subsequentunfinished garment. Movement of the pivoting arms 1 is effectuated bythe machine operator through the use of a controller device 21. Thecontroller device 21 might include, for example, a general purposecomputer with processor and input/output interface for communicatingwith the mechanical linkages, or other type devices known by thoseskilled in the art.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of the current invention whichcomprises a mannequin or buck 3, simulating the upper part of a humanbody, for holding a garment in place and a pair of right and leftpivoting arms 1 arranged at both sides of the mannequin or buck 3. Agarment can be placed on the buck 3 during a process of finishing thegarment such that the garment conforms substantially to the shape of thebuck 3. The buck 3 can be rigidly attached to the buck frame 4. A pairof sleeve holders 2 can be provided, which may be raised and lowered bythe garment finishing machine operator as he or she sees fit. The sleeveholders 2 can also rotate freely around the pivot point 14 to provideeven sleeve tension for the particular type of garment construction,including sleeves which are sewn onto the body of the garment at variousangles. The garment finishing machine provides for rotation of the leftand right pivoting arms 1 in a lateral position from the base of themannequin in order to provide tension on the sleeve by increasing thedistance from the sleeve cuff to the body of the garment located on thebuck 3.

A series of linkages are provided to connect the sleeve holders 2 andthe pivoting arms 1 to the garment buck frame 4. The lower link 5 can beattached to the garment buck frame 4 with a bearing 6 or other suchpivoting device, enabling rotation of the lower link 5 in either aclockwise or counter-clockwise direction. The lower link 5 can rotatefrom the base of the garment buck frame 4 to a position either higher orlower in elevation than the frame. This lower link 5 can be connected totwo other links, the slide link 7 and tilt link 8. The slide link 7 canbe attached to the slide 9 which is controlled up and down by themachine operator. Motive force to move the slide 9 can be provided by apneumatic actuator 10 or other such actuators such as hydraulic orelectric current. The slide 9 can be attached to the pivoting arm 1enabling it to move in a generally vertical direction. Also, thepivoting arm 1 can be attached to the buck frame 4 via the main armpivot 11 that enables the pivoting arm 1 to pivot or rotate in aclockwise or counter-clockwise direction. Motive force to move thepivoting arm 1 in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction can beprovided by a pneumatic actuator 16 or other such actuators such ashydraulic or electric current. Movement of the pivoting arms 1 can beeffectuated by the machine operator through the use of the controllerdevice 21.

When the slide 9 moves up or down, this causes the slide link 7 to moveand in turn causes the lower link 5 to pivot about its bearing or pivot6 on the garment buck frame 4. The tilt link 8 can be attached to thelower link 5 via a pivot or such bearing 12 and moves proportionately tothe movement of the slide link 7. The tilt link 8 can be attached to thesleeve holder 2 via a pivot or such bearing 13. The sleeve holder 2 canbe attached to the slide 9 by the sleeve holder pivots 14 and movessubstantially vertically with the slide 9. The combined motion of thesleeve holder 2 in the vertical direction as a result of the movement ofthe slider as well as the rotation of the sleeve holder 2 around thepivot 14 as a result of the movement of the tilt link 8, determines theposition and directional angle of the sleeve holder 2 in relation to thebuck 3. The sleeve holder 2 includes sleeve holder clamps 15 totemporarily secure the open end of the garment sleeve to the sleeveholder 2 during the wrinkle removal process. An arrow is drawn from thesleeve holder 2 toward the garment buck 3 to indicate the orientation ofthe sleeve holder 2 to the garment buck 3.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the lower link 5, pivoting arm 1, tilt link 8,slide 9, slide link 7, garment buck frame 4 and sleeve holder 2 comprisea linkage. The positions of the pivot points determine the orientationof the sleeve holder 2 as the slide 9 moves up and down and/or as thepivoting arm 1 pivots. In FIG. 2, the two pivoting arms 1 are in similartilt positions, with each pivoting arm 1, as seen from the front side ofthe buck, at approximately thirty degrees from a vertical linerepresented by the length of the garment buck 3. The lower links 5 canbe substantially parallel with a horizontal line representing the baseof the garment buck frame 4.

FIG. 3 illustrates the garment finishing machine in a lowered position,in comparison with its position in FIG. 2. The two pivoting arms 1 arein the same position relative to vertical, but the lower links 5 havebeen rotated downward, relative to the horizontal, and the sleeve holder2 has been lowered relative to its position in FIG. 2. At the same time,the angle of the sleeve holder 2 has been rotated upward such that it isstill in line with the garment buck, as illustrated by the arrow. Theforegoing description is one possible alternative, and one skilled inthe art can realize that a range of vertical, horizontal, andorientation angles of the sleeve holders 2 and pivoting arms 1 arepossible. As is clear from the above, the movement of the slide 9 up anddown causes the sleeve holder 2 to rotate around the pivot point 14automatically, thus keeping the orientation of the garment sleeve inline with the garment buck 3. This allows the tension to remain even onthe bottom and top of the sleeve, reducing, or even eliminating, thelikelihood of wrinkles, even when sleeves of different angles are used.

FIG. 4 illustrates a shirt placed on the garment buck 3 with the shirtconforming substantially to the shape of the garment buck 3. The shirtcuffs can be placed over the sleeve holder, which cannot be seen in thisfigure. The sleeve holder clamps 15 are in an open or retracted positionand there would be minimal tension on the sleeve in this position.

FIG. 5 illustrates a shirt placed on the garment buck 3 with the shirtconforming substantially to the shape of the garment buck 3. The shirtcuffs can be placed over the sleeve holder. The sleeve clamps 15 are ina closed position, applying compression to the cuff and the underlyingsleeve holder. In this position, tension can be applied to the shirtsleeve prior to finishing.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, alignment sensors 20 may be attached to thesleeve holder 2 and the shoulder of the garment buck 3 to determine whenthe garment sleeve is in proper orientation with the shoulder. In someembodiments, a laser, or other light source, can be attached to thesleeve arm so that it emits light in a direction in line with the sleeveholder. An optic sensor can be placed on a fixed point on the mannequinshoulder, such that when it detects the light from the laser, it sends amessage to the controller 21 that the sleeve arm is now aligned with theshoulder of the buck 3 and for the controller 21 to stop the motion ofthe tilt link 8. In some embodiments, a microprocessor can calculate theangle of orientation of the sleeve holder so that it is in alignmentwith the shoulder of the buck 3. Positioning information in regards tothe location of the tilt link 8, slide 9, and sleeve holders 2 can bestored in memory in the microprocessor, and a mathematical algorithm cancalculate the orientation angle based on the input it receives from thecontroller 21. The controller 21 can then interface with the tilt link8, slide 9 and sleeve holder 2, to position the sleeve holder 2, so thatit is in alignment.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the sleeve holders 2 may include one or moresensors 20 which are tension detector sensors for measuring the tensionof the sleeve against the mannequin to ensure that the tension is withinrequired limits. A tension detection sensor can be an electro-mechanicaldevice for determining sleeve tension feedback. For instance, it ispossible to mount strain gauge(s) or other load cell(s) to the sleeveholders 2 in order to measure forces, which can be directly related tothe tension of the sleeve connection. These gauges or load cells can bemounted to the clamps on the sleeve holder 2, such that strains or loadson these members might be correlated to the tension of the sleeve asshown in FIG. 6. In some embodiments, the gauges or load cells may alsobe mounted on the garment buck 3 shoulder in order to determine belttension. The gauges or load cells may also be mounted in other locationsof the buck 3 or support structures, in order to determine forcesrelated back to sleeve tension. The feedback from these torque and/ortension sensors can be used to indicate to the garment finishing machinecontroller 21 when the pivot arm motive mechanism should be stopped dueto reaching desired tension. Any combination of these measurementtechniques can be used in concert to more accurately or robustly providesleeve tension feedback.

Movement of the pivoting arm 1 can be facilitated by applying motiveforce to it, causing the pivoting arm 1 to pivot or rotate in aclockwise or counter-clockwise direction around the main arm pivot 11.In this fashion, garment sleeves of different lengths, includingshort-sleeve shirts, are able to be finished using the garment finishingmachine of the current invention. By applying the movement of thepivoting arm 1 with the up and down movement of the sleeve holder 2 aswell as the automatic angle adjust of the sleeve holder 2, shirts ofvarious sleeve lengths and sleeve angles can be finished by this garmentfinishing machine without the introduction of wrinkles.

Example embodiments of the present general inventive concept can bedescribed as follows. An operator places the garment on the buck 3 suchthat the front of the garment is situated towards the front of thegarment finishing machine. Tensioning members in the buck 3 could beused to apply tension to the body of the shirt so that wrinkles will notform prior to pressing. The operator causes the each pivoting arm 1 torotate inward from the torso so that the cuff end of the garment iswithin proximity to the sleeve holder clamps 15. The operator can attachthe cuff end of each sleeve of the garment into the sleeve holder clamps15, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, to temporarily secure the end ofthe garment sleeve to the sleeve holder 2, taking care to orient thecuff end such that the garment sleeve is oriented in the direction ofthe garment as manufactured. The amount of tension on the sleeve, afterthe garment sleeve is attached to the sleeve holder 2, may be minimal.At this point, the operator can cause the buck frames 4 to rotate by 180degrees, as shown in the system representation of FIG. 1, so that thebuck frames 4 exchange positions. The operator, through usage of thecontroller device 21, can then initiate the motion of the pivoting arm 1in the outward direction, causing increased tension on the sleeve, whilesimultaneously, the slide 9 moves in an either upward and downwarddirection until a desired tension is achieved on the sleeve arm, thetension in the lower and upper part of the cuff arm are the same, andthe sleeve holder 2 is oriented in the direction of the shoulder on thegarment buck 3. The controller 21 can stop the action of the linkages.The unfinished garment may now be located within the finishingcompartment 22, so that it can be steamed, pressed, or other methods offinishing a garment known to those within the art. After finishing androtation of the buck frames 4, the finished garment can be removed andreplaced with an unfinished garment to repeat the process.

While example embodiments have been illustrated and described, it willbe understood that the present general inventive concept is not intendedto limit the disclosure, but rather it is intended to cover allmodifications and alternate devices and methods falling within thespirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A garment finishing machine comprising amannequin to hold the body of the garment, a pair of pivoting armslocated on either side of the mannequin to support and tension thesleeves of the garment, a stable frame on which the mannequin rests,sleeve holders on each of said pivoting arms to hold each sleeve inposition during the finishing process, pivot points on the frame,pivoting arms, and sleeve holders to allow for rotation of the pivotingarms around a pivot point, and a slider attached to the sleeve holdersto provide vertical motion of the sleeve holders during the finishingprocess, wherein a movement of the finishing arms around its pivot pointon the frame of the garment finishing machine provides tension to thesleeves of the garment by increasing the distance between the garmentand the position of the sleeve holder, wherein the movement of theslider causes a proportional movement of the pivot arms and causes thesleeve holder to rotate on its axis, and wherein the motion of thesleeve holder is in response to the movement of the slider and createsan even tension on the top and bottom portions of a sleeve attached atthe sleeve holder.
 2. The garment finishing machine of claim 1,comprising a means of automatically adjusting the angle of the sleeveholder, mounted on a pair of pivots, so the sleeve holder faces theshoulder of the buck as the pivoting arm pivots outwardly or inwardly.3. The garment finishing machine of claim 1, comprising a means ofautomatically adjusting the angle of the sleeve holder, mounted on apair of pivots, so the sleeve holder faces the shoulder of the buck asthe sleeve holder is raised or lowered.
 4. The garment finishing machineof claim 1, comprising a means of automatically adjusting the angle ofthe sleeve holder so the sleeve holder, mounted on a pair of pivots,faces the shoulder of the buck as the pivoting arm rotates outwardly orinwardly, and as the sleeve holder is raised or lowered.
 5. A garmentfinishing machine comprising a molded form to support the body of thegarment, a pair of pivoting arms located on either side of the mannequinto support and tension the sleeves of the garment, and sleeve holders oneach of said pivoting arms to hold each sleeve in position during thefinishing process, wherein the sleeve holders are configured to rotateclockwise or counter-clockwise on an axis point attached to the pivotingarms to keep the sleeves aligned with a shoulder of the mannequin,wherein the sleeve holders are configured to move vertically, up ordown, and wherein the motion of the sleeve holder is performedautomatically and creates an even tension on the top and bottom portionsof a sleeve attached at the sleeve holder.
 6. The shirt or garmentfinishing machine of claim 5, wherein a tilt link attached to the sleevearm controls the angle of orientation of the sleeve holder.
 7. The shirtor garment finishing machine of claim 6, wherein the tilt link is movedbased on feedback received from alignment sensors attached to the sleeveholders and a fixed point on the mannequin.
 8. The shirt or garmentfinishing machine of claim 6, wherein the tilt link is moved based onfeedback received from a microprocessor which calculates the angle oforientation.
 9. A garment finishing machine system comprising at leasttwo mannequin to hold the body of the garment, at least two frames tosupport the mannequins, a pair of a pair of pivoting arms located oneither side of the mannequins to support and tension the sleeves of thegarment, at least two stable frames on which the mannequin rests, sleeveholders on each of said pivoting arms to hold each sleeve in positionduring the finishing process, pivot points on the frames, pivoting arms,and sleeve holders to allow for rotation around a pivot point, and aslider attached to the sleeve holders to allow for vertical motion ofthe sleeve holders during the finishing process, wherein a movement ofthe finishing arms around its pivot point on the frame of the garmentfinishing machine provides tension to the sleeves of the garment byincreasing the distance between the garment and the position of thesleeve holder, wherein the movement of the slider causes a proportionalmovement of the pivot arms and causes the sleeve holder to rotate on itsaxis, wherein the motion of the sleeve holder is in response to themovement of the slider and creates an even tension on the top and bottomportions of a sleeve attached at the sleeve holder, and wherein at leastone of the mannequins holds the garment during the finishing process andat least one of the mannequins holds the garment prior to finishing.